The appeal will cover emergency supplies such as tents, blankets, and possibly field hospitals, said Roy Probert of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

"We will be putting out a preliminary appeal in the next few hours. The Iranian Red Crescent asked us for help," Probert told AFP.

"It will probably be about 10 million Swiss francs," he added.

Probert said national Red Cross societies in Europe were already "queuing up" with offers of help for Iran.

About 6,000 people were killed when a violent earthquake struck the historic city of Bam in on Friday, Iranian authorities said.

The Iranian Red Crescent had deployed two field hospitals in the first hours after the disaster, as well as tents and medical supplies, according to the Federation.

The Red Crescent in Iran is highly regarded at the Geneva-based Federation, because of its experience in dealing with the aftermath of more than 1,000 earthquakes in the country since 1991, which have claimed about 17,600 lives.

TERRA.WIRE